Three-dimensional image formation and restoration in an optical microscope with polarization aberrations

A major limiting factor in polarization microscopy is the rotation of the plane of polarization at oblique interfaces in the optical train, which leads to severe degradation of image quality. Polarization aberration theory has provided an effective framework for studying two- dimensional image formation and optical restoration in these systems. Here we extend the polarization aberration model to three dimensions. A model system is chosen in which polarization aberrations are optically corrected and image quality restored. Closed-form expressions for the aberrated and restored 3-D space-variant point spread functions are derived, and the contributions of the various kinds of polarization aberrations are described.